Light In My Dark
by Living Paradox
Summary: Naruto goes through some key points in the show story, but Kyuubi this time is a much more involved person in his life.
1. The First Meeting

**Author Notes: Hello everyone, new fic. I have been gone at camp for a long time, and now I'm back. Time there gave me room to think pervy and romantic thoughts (inspiration), and now I'm back. This story features a thirteen-year-old Naruto just beginning to trek the wonderful age we all must face at one time or another: PUBERTY! As you may have guessed due to the summary, Kyuubi plays a big part in this part of our young hero's life. Anyway, onto the story.**

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**Naruto:** He was running for his life again, or at least his skin. Naruto, hyperactive ninja extraordinaire, aspiring Genin, and "Demon of Konoha," was running from an angry mob of villagers. It was February, the blond having just turned thirteen last October. He hadn't done anything wrong except stumble across some zealous kids right after enjoying his dinner. "Damn it!" the boy growled to himself. "They just don't give up." He was going over the rooftops to stay away from the common villagers, but his luck ran out when a Chuunin from Team Four shot out from behind a chimney and tackled him to the ground. "Agh, get, off, me," the blond growled as he squirmed and kicked, managing to get his assailer square in the chest.

"Fucking BRAT!" he yelled, punching Naruto in the side of the head, not quite knocking him out. He shook the blond by the front of his jacket, kneeing him in the stomach as the rest of the villagers caught up.

"Let go of me, you little, prick!" the blond boy spoke as he struggled. It was far too late though, and the group bashing began. Every strike inflicted so much pain…blades, brass knuckles, general physical attacks, everything pounded the boy's less than protected body.

Naruto's screams of pain could be picked up by a few of his friends nearby, including Sasuke, Sakura, Hinata, and Shikamaru.

"That's Naruto's voice," the pink-haired girl exclaimed. Sasuke sprinted ahead of her. He didn't really have feelings for the blond apart from camaraderie, but the raven boy found the cries of his teammate to be more than distressful.

"Damn it!" Shikamaru spoke as he started going toward the noise. "Not again, they can't keep doing this!"

"Naruto!" Hinata yelled (if you could call it that) as she turned and sprinted.

Kyuubi, the adolescent fox-demon sealed within Naruto, awoke to the disturbance in his vessel's mind. As a matter of fact, this one was the worst yet. When he examined the blond's condition, his own instinct to stay alive kicked in, and he forced his chakra through the seal. "Damn you Yondaime," he spat. "I mean, thanks for getting me away from Madara and giving your life up for it, but would it have killed you to put a failsafe in this thing? If you want me to protect this kid and for him to use my power, putting an energy channel in would be most helpful." The redhead forced his chakra until the seal weakened only enough to let it start flowing. "Is this gonna be enough though?"

Suddenly, the blond's mental self appeared outside the bars of Kyuubi's enormous cell. He was bloody and sobbing, his clothes torn to show where his body had been wounded. Every one of his sobs shook his body, coming out almost like coughs as he heaved. "Why? Why do they hate me so much? Why do they have to hurt me? Please, just stop. MAKE IT STOOOOP!" His crying was hysterical, and the blond had yet to even realize where he was.

"Get inside my cage," Kyuubi spoke in a deep voice not exactly his own. "I'll protect you, but unless you come in here, there's no guarantee I can heal the damage."

"You," Naruto spoke now in terror if not lunacy. "You're the…demon, the Nine-Tailed-Fox! I'm gonna die; I'm gonna die!"

"If you want to live, you'll do as I say," the fox spoke sternly. Naruto screamed both in agony and terror before collapsing within his own mind. Kyuubi clenched his teeth and growled. "Pesky, stubborn brat." He forced a long tail between the bars, but the seal rejected him every step of the way, causing the demon much pain as he reached for the blond's body. Red lightning seemed to attack the appendage as it stretched forward. "Fucking…seal," he clenched. "I'm trying to save him, not kill him." When Kyuubi's tail wrapped around the blond's stomach, he felt much relief, even more so when the blond safely entered his cage. "Finally," he sighed.

"Yeah, take that demon-boy," the one Chuunin spoke roughly as he continually kicked the blond in the gut. There were plenty of wounds and bruises now, so it was only a matter of finishing up.

"Back off," Sasuke said passively, his aura drawing all attention. Everyone stared at him in anger and contempt. "I said, get away from Naruto."

"Shut up and go kiss the Hokage's ass Uchiha!" the one Chuunin replied.

"Oh my God!" Sakura spoke with her hands over her mouth in horror.

"Aw man," Shikamaru spoke in shock. "They really did it this time."

"NARUTOOOOO!" Hinata screamed.

"Oh great, the sympathizers are here," one of the villagers spoke. The one Chuunin picked the blond up before punching him square in the cheek, receiving no response but a crumpling body to the ground. Lightning erupted from Sasuke's left hand, and he charged the older male with latent fury. The man had absolutely no time to dodge, and it seemed Sasuke would have an easy kill. A split second before his Chidori would have connected though, Kakashi diverted his arm and threw him, but he DID punish the Chuunin in Sasuke's stead, breaking his jaw with one solid blow.

"Everyone, enough is enough," the white-haired man spoke with some anger showing in his voice. He held a kunai just in case someone tried continuing the fight. "Sakura, get Naruto to Tsunade or Shizune, now!" he spoke sternly. The villagers rioted.

"Who needs 'im," one man spoke.

"He's just garbage; let 'im rot."

"Kill the demon-boy!"

"End him!"

"Oh Naruto, please be okay," Hinata begged as she hugged Shikamaru. Sakura carried the unconscious blond on her back as she rushed through the streets. She never even noticed that his chakra signature had changed, or that his wounds were healing up.

"Whe…where am I?" the blond boy asked as he awoke on something soft in a dark room. It was cool and moist, the air which protruded the space. He felt a warm washcloth on pained skin in his side and winced.

"Sorry," spoke a voice the blond did not recognize. Naruto could barely see, and like magic, lit torches hung themselves on the walls of this place until he could make out the face of the one tending to him. "You got pretty banged up, but your external self has mostly been healed. It is your spirit which requires renewal and rest."

"Thank for helping me," the blond spoke. "What's your name?" The young man before him gasped in nervousness, and he fell still as the room lit gradually. When his glowing eyes could finally be seen against the torchlight, Naruto seized up in horror. "No," he began in a shaky voice. "Get away from me! You're the Kyuubi GET AWAY FROM ME!" he screamed almost girlishly in terror. Naruto sprung out of the redhead's bed and made a mad dash away, but he soon collapsed from pain, thus causing it to increase. He hissed and bit his lip, but he tensed up when he heard the quick footsteps of the nine-tailed-teen coming toward him. "Get AWAY!" he yelled as he attempted to backhand the older male. He was getting weaker, and his vision was blurring.

"Naruto, please calm down," the fox-man spoke in true concern. "Your spirit is tired, and you're not even conscious. If you continue this, your return to the real world will only be delayed further."

"You're gonna hurt me, just like the villagers, only…much worseuuuuuunnnh," the boy groaned, once again falling mentally unconscious.

"Good grief," the redhead sighed. "Well, can I really blame him? Stupid Yondaime, killing himself. If you'd stuck around neither me nor your son would be stuck in this mess." As he spoke, Kyuubi picked up the younger blond and carried him back over to his silk bed. "If he freaks out next time, I'm chaining him down." The redhead went back to cleaning the wounds still visible on mental Naruto. Physical wounds he could heal in a heartbeat, but some mental wounds became scars, never fading, always being a source of damage and instability. "Damned villagers," he spat as he viewed them, seven scars, and four new wounds along with bruising.

"Tsunade-Sama!" Sakura yelled as she burst into the Hokage's office. The blond woman spun around in her seat violently, wanting to destroy Sakura for waking her and being so rude, but when she saw the torn clothing and the blood on Naruto, her emotions dropped like bricks.

"Get him in a bed," she spoke sternly. "Shizune!"

"Hai, Tsunade-Sama," her assistant spoke. They walked on the wind almost, and Tsunade ripped the remains of the golden blond's jacket off of him as she started an examination. What stupefied the Hokage was the fact that…there was no damage to be seen, no bruising, no cuts, no broken bones….

"What in blazes?" she asked into the air. "Sakura, is this some sort of joke?"

"What do you mean?" the pink-haired girl asked.

"He has no injuries!" the woman exclaimed.

"But, the villagers were beating him. They had knives too," she spoke as she looked at her unconscious comrade. "How is it possible for him to have no wounds? He had at least five bleeding cuts when I picked him up."

"It's NOT possible you twit!" Tsunade half yelled. "You don't go from nearly dead to perfectly fine that fast. Only if someone had healed him before could this…healed before. Wait, Sakura you didn't, did you?" The girl shook her head. Tsunade checked the boy over with her chakra, and after a while, markings appeared on his stomach.

"What is that?" Sakura inquired. She seemed inquisitive and creeped-out at the same time.

"Well," Tsunade began as she quirked her lip. "This is the seal which contains the Kyuubi." It was blunt, simple, and yet Sakura STILL went into a rant.

"WHAAAAAAAT!?!?" she screamed. After a bit of an explanation, the girl calmed down and was yet put even more on edge.

"I have a theory," the older woman spoke. "It's gonna require an experiment though." She took a scalpel and made a tiny cut just below Naruto's left elbow. Blood seeped from the wound, but smoke very quickly rose from the breach, and it sealed up, impossible without bandaging. "His seal appears when his chakra is active, or if someone is using chakra on him," Tsunade explains. "I have a feeling the Kyuubi came to his rescue, probably to save its own skin though."

"Why?" Sakura asked. "It's not like, if Naruto dies the fox dies right?" A nod from Tsunade confused her and yet explained everything.

"That is precisely why Naruto healed so fast without reason," the Hokage spoke. "Well, he can stay here for now, but have him talk to me when he wakes up."

The blond boy began shifting under the covers of Kyuubi's soft and warm bed, and the fox was prepared for his vessel's freak-out if it was going to occur. "Nnnngh," he groaned as he sat up and stretched his arms. Naruto yawned before opening his eyes, this time able to see already. He found the fox-man sitting at the bedside and immediately ducked back under the covers. "Why am I even here?" the boy demanded. "You're gonna torture me, I know it!"

"Calm down Naruto!" the man finally spoke loudly and sternly. The boy visibly curled into himself and whimpered. "I'm not here to torture you. In fact, I saved your sorry butt. The damage from that particular beating was life-threatening, so I stepped in. I can't simply let you die, because I'll die with you."

"Hah! So you DON'T care about me!" the boy yelled.

"Why in God's name are you so ungrateful?!" the redhead yelled back. "I bring you into my home, give you a bed, clean your wounds, stay by your side until you wake up, and THIS is the thanks I get?" He was panting in anger, but the redhead made no aggressive move.

"Everyone told me I was a demon, that all I'd ever do if I grew up was murder their families," the blond spoke softly. "'You have no mind, no free will.' 'Go to Hell where you belong with the rest of your kind' 'Stay away from our children, corrupting filth.'"

Kyuubi was silent. He had heard this before from humans, but the fact that his human vessel suffered these atrocities pulled at his heart if but a little. "I see," he spoke calmly, softly as well. "So, what do you think I should be doing to you right now, since I have done nothing as of yet?" There was a pause before the blond began, soft at first, but his voice became more desperate and frightened as his thoughts grew darker and more frightening.

"Beating me," the boy spoke. "Tearing me open…eating my insides, drinking my blood…using my body for" The fox removed the covers from over the blond, and Naruto turned fearfully to see…tears welling up in the passive male's face.

"Be silent Uzumaki," the fox-man spoke. "I swear to you that I will never violate you in any such manner. Now, enough of this disgusting subject matter. Go through that door over there and take a hot bath." He sniffled once before continuing. "It will help relax your mental self." Naruto could barely make heads or tails of what the older male was saying. "Go, it's already prepared. I'll give you some privacy." Sniff. The boy got up and gave the nine-tailed-teen one more passive glance before walking across the room through an oak door into a very luxurious bathroom filled with steam. A bath had in fact been prepared, so the blond carefully removed his clothing and folded it up before descending into the more than warm water.

"How could you leave your boy to handle this alone Yondaime?" the fox asked himself in anger and sorrow. "I swear if I ever meet you again I'll throttle ya….Was he really about to say that I'd use him for sex? Ignorant, blasphemous, disgusting humans, how dare they ruin a child's young life so recklessly? When did such delicate subjects become weapons of terror open for use against the young?"

Naruto found various oils and soaps lining the outside of the rather large tub which remained at a steady, high temperature. He picked out an olive-scented hair soap and applied a little to his spiky locks. It foamed up rather quickly, so he scanned the body soaps for something interesting. "Peaches and Honeysuckle?" the boy asked himself. Using an embroidered crimson washcloth, Naruto began lightly scrubbing himself, being extra careful with his sensitive, wounded areas. The bleeding had stopped completely, but he felt very sore. It was then that boy realized he had fuzz beginning to grow in his armpits. It was a prideful moment for the young boy, just beginning his trek to adulthood. (aaaaaww)

"He'll be awake in a little bit," Tsunade decided when she checked on the boy. "He's coming out of shock, so it could have been much longer. Are you certain Kakashi, that he was already unconscious by the time he had received most of the damage?"

"Ya, and Orito was the one who caught Naruto so that the others could get him," he spoke. "He was in horrible shape at the time. But now we know a little more about the fox. Back when we were fighting Haku and Zabuza, the fox's chakra first came through the seal, and it allowed Naruto to defeat his assailer. I had no idea the fox was capable of healing him. How long until he wakes up?"

"It shouldn't be long," Tsunade told him. "His mental shock is quickly dissipating. I don't know how he'll react when he comes to though."

The blond boy felt totally relaxed as he sat in the tub, body spread as he leaned on the wall and breathed in steam. Kyuubi knew how bad his clothes had been damaged, so he decided to lend the mental Naruto some of _his_ older clothing. He found a simple teal robe with some leggings and sandals before knocking on the door to the bathroom.

"Um, you can come in," Naruto spoke semi nervously. Kyuubi entered slowly and found the blond tuft of hair waiting by the edge.

"Naruto, I know your clothes are pretty torn up, so I'm gonna lend you some of mine," the elder spoke. "They might be a little big, but they're from when I was your age. Your normal clothes are torn up too, so you'll have to buy some new ones or get them repaired."

"Oh, well thanks…Kyuubi," Naruto replied, calmly, and yet still afraid. "So, I guess it gets kinda lonely in here, since I never have really…spoken to you before." This conversation was surprising to both parties. Naruto was running scared earlier, but it was a good change of pace.

"Well, I pretty much just sleep all the time," the redhead began. "Apart from that, I watch you live your life. Yeah, it gets a little lonely."

"What do you mean by watch me live my life?" Naruto inquired nervously, still not turning and facing the elder male.

"Well, I know a lot about you," the redhead spoke as he set the clothes on the counter. "You hate the color orange despite the fact it's the only thing in your wardrobe, you have a tiny crush on your pink-haired teammate, you hate the village, you love Iruka for taking care of you, you think that the current Hokage is a"

"OKAAAAAY! That's enough talk of that," Naruto spoke up, blushing. "Why do you pry into my life so much? Why not just focus on breaking the seal?"

"Tried the first five years," Kyuubi replied flatly. "It simply isn't possible without your consent or unless someone from the outside if they're stupid enough ruptures it purposely. So naturally, I have to find ways of occupying myself. I've read every book in my room twice already, so I simply watch through your eyes. Now that you've been in here, you can probably talk to me anytime you want….Well, I guess only if you _wanted_ to."

"Well, why wouldn't I?" the younger one asked. Kyuubi was quite flabbergasted.

"Well, I'm a demon, B: I'm inside you, and wouldn't that seem kinda strange?" the redhead asked. "It would make the villagers partially right about who you are: a demon fraternizer." Naruto was silent as he dipped his head a little.

"Well, it would be one more person to talk to," he spoke timidly. "Unless you don't want me to."

"If it suits you, a little talk now and again would be nice," Kyuubi replied, making Naruto smile a bit. "But for now, jump out before you prune up. I'll leave so you can change." He walked out of the bathroom and shut the door, and Naruto got up, realizing he had jelly legs from the relaxation. It took some struggling, but he had his balance on a dry mat. There was a crimson towel hanging on a bar, soft as a stuffed animal, and warm like an afternoon sun. Naruto dried himself off before slipping on his form-fitting boxers. He spied himself in a mirror and found scars on his body which didn't exist on his physical one, at least, not before today. His wounds had closed up, and the bruising which remained was minimal. Naruto put on the simple grey shirt, leggings, and robe before stepping back into the still dimly lit room.

"I think you could use a little more light," the boy spoke. Hanging lights materialized, and soon the room with its stone floor was completely visible. Kyuubi had to rub his eyes for a while, but he smiled when Naruto came into view. It turned out that the fox had a pale complexion, smooth features, and nine elegant tails swaying behind him. He wore comfortable yet strong shoes, dark woven pants, a black and grey tunic; and a long-sleeved, red undershirt. His long hair came to about mid-shoulder, and its color really accentuated Kyuubi's ruby eyes. He didn't seem powerfully built, but the blond knew what his chakra could do.

"Thanks for the lighting Naruto," he spoke. "You'll appear in those clothes whenever you come here now unless you choose your normal clothing. Your old ones have already vanished." The blond checked, and sure enough…they weren't there! "You'll be waking up soon, so just remember to talk to me through your thoughts alright?" The blond saw this world dematerializing, so he nodded before all went white.

**Author Notes: Thank you for reading, yes I will be continuing my other stories. Please review.**


	2. Important Message

Hey faithful readers.

I'm a family friend of Paradox...

Unfortunately, just two months ago, your author passed away at the age of 17 years 312 days at 4:27 A.M. It was unknown to me at the time he wrote so many fanfictions on this website (or that he wrote so much for a hobby at all). He and I took our english classes together, and I always was astounded when I peer-critiqued/analyzed his work be it a poem, argumentative piece, or philosophical positionings. I've spent the last twelve days reading his stories, and I was honestly shocked at some of his comments. I didn't know he was borderline bi-sexual/plain gay, not that I hold it against him. Some of our best friends are, both boys and girls.

But I'm trailing away here. Paradox and I were performing in a choral-orchestral performance in Carnegie Hall when he collapsed on stage. In a matter of hours, stress, scans, and worry, we (his family and other close friends there too) were told he wouldn't live through the night. He'd contracted adolescent small-cell lung cancer coupled with a virus that had been eating away at the cells in his chest without any signs. Both of his parents smoked, but the doctrs say we can't blame them. Adolescent lung cancer has several genetic factors involved...but in a matter of seven hours, I'd lost a dear friend who had devoted his life to readers like you, issues like human-rights, videogame animation/design, and most of all music. I and the chorus which we'd auditioned for performed his funeral mass shortly after his death. I saw that he inserted some great musical works into his stories (he was always doing crazy things to blend his interests), so I feel it fitting to end his existence on FF by providing his dedicated readers with the music by which he departed from this world. These are not recordings of our chorus, but they are just as emotional as we were during the procession. These songs were selected because they were some of his favorites, and they fit the occassion. Please listen in remembrance of Living Paradox. All of the links below are "(you tube)" with each link below added to the end.

.com/watch?v=hQTMrs0DMsI&feature=related

.com/watch?v=nydD17m6Tn8

.com/watch?v=iWtcvmSLxy4

.com/watch?v=tV29TqNc4rM&feature=related

.com/watch?v=J5MoZlNVG-s&feature=related

.com/watch?v=J5MoZlNVG-s&feature=related (he and I are in this one)

In remembrance of my friend, I can TRY to continue his works to fitting ends...if you want, or we can preserve what exists in memory. Reply back with revies, as they've been rerouted to my email adress. For now at least, goodbye everyone.


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